Best possible way to smoke tail lights
#16
They charged me $125 which sounds pricey but I tried the Lamin-X first on my own which looked bad to say the least, mostly because of my lack of skills to do the job. But honestly once I saw the end product of what the wrappers did it felt like I received a bargain as I don't like to skimp on my ride..
#18
I did my '13 Panamera in 3 steps:
1. Tinted clear area red
2. "Faded" smoke from top to bottom (almost nothing at bottom & masked off the back up light)
3. Clear coated entire lens
Has done wonders at reducing the "big ***" effect, looks cool yet classy & custom and in the day light its looks killer because its not 100% smoked out...
This is the best overall pic and how it looks in day light...
Getting towards dusk, so when lights are on, color seperation seems more drmatic
1. Tinted clear area red
2. "Faded" smoke from top to bottom (almost nothing at bottom & masked off the back up light)
3. Clear coated entire lens
Has done wonders at reducing the "big ***" effect, looks cool yet classy & custom and in the day light its looks killer because its not 100% smoked out...
This is the best overall pic and how it looks in day light...
Getting towards dusk, so when lights are on, color seperation seems more drmatic
Last edited by CIMMA; 02-18-2018 at 06:08 AM.
#20
Yes, tinted them myself with VHT and spray clear coat. Trick is to allow the spray to warm up a bit so the spray mist is finer, also, I put on 6 coats of clear and then wet sanded and polished and waxed ALOT! Its not as easy to do the fade, if I was to do it again, I would have a pro spray them for me.
#21
Just got my 2014 Panamera in December 2017, 13K miles
Its a Florida car, the previous owner hadn't tinted the windows but they went to the trouble of Painting & Clearcoating the Tail lights dark brown to match the body. They do look really nice and are professionally done.
Probably not even legal being this dark but I haven't been pulled over yet.
Its a Florida car, the previous owner hadn't tinted the windows but they went to the trouble of Painting & Clearcoating the Tail lights dark brown to match the body. They do look really nice and are professionally done.
Probably not even legal being this dark but I haven't been pulled over yet.
Last edited by lesliew; 02-19-2018 at 10:12 AM.
#23
I just applied Lamin-X a few weeks ago. It's OK-ish as long as you don't look too closely.
The material was not tall enough to cover the full height of the tail light in the middle, so there is a gap of about a quarter inch along the bottom. Fortunately the lens is fairly dark red down there so the missing tint isn't too obvious. But I know the gap is there. Also, you can still see minor surface ripples from a few feet away if you stare at the lights. That's not a big deal but it does make it obvious that it is covered by a film.
I wanted to try the Lamin-X as an experiment to see if I liked the tint. I will probably remove it at some point and get them professionally painted.
The material was not tall enough to cover the full height of the tail light in the middle, so there is a gap of about a quarter inch along the bottom. Fortunately the lens is fairly dark red down there so the missing tint isn't too obvious. But I know the gap is there. Also, you can still see minor surface ripples from a few feet away if you stare at the lights. That's not a big deal but it does make it obvious that it is covered by a film.
I wanted to try the Lamin-X as an experiment to see if I liked the tint. I will probably remove it at some point and get them professionally painted.
P.S> here is one and the only review from their web-shop:
2011 Porsche PanameraDoes not fit. I struggled with it for about an hour until i just gave up a threw it out. Followed the instructions as well but still did not fit. Waste of time and money.
Review by Stefan Posted on 6/4/18
#24
Laminex is not the right process - IMHO - they use adhesive backing, you want a product that works like a window tint.
But I like the idea of taking to a shop that does this stuff all day long - I have a really good window tint shop, I'll check with him to see if he does lights too.
But I like the idea of taking to a shop that does this stuff all day long - I have a really good window tint shop, I'll check with him to see if he does lights too.
#25
Had the tint shop do it when they were tinting the windows.
they sent the taillights out to a auto body shop to smoke the tails (medium).
they sanded the smoked lights to a smooth surface, and then added a layer of paint protection film.
#28
Vvivid is the best film solution in my opinion - it has air release underneath to remove bubbles where possible (makes application way easier) and is a gloss finish.
Lamin-x is the worst. I got in touch with them about it, too - no response.
Other option is to do as a couple others have done and have them tinted professionally without film (best way to go).
I did vvivid and came out like so:
Lamin-x is the worst. I got in touch with them about it, too - no response.
Other option is to do as a couple others have done and have them tinted professionally without film (best way to go).
I did vvivid and came out like so:
#30
Thanks negb. to be honest, i am not sure the exact mix (clear:black/tint) that the body shop used. the basic process is to prep lights for paint/clear coat, then black color is mixed with clear to achieve a darker/tinted clear coat color. i'm sure if you have a body shop near you that you trust, they most likely have experience with this process. i'm sure they could spray a couple test panels to make sure you end up with the shade you want.
if you choose not to spray with tinted clear, vvivid film appears to have the best product and results
if you choose not to spray with tinted clear, vvivid film appears to have the best product and results